Make it a long, floating lunch

One thing I love about Tassie is transit times. Sit at a red light- and you stand to lose 10 seconds. Want to get out of the city- a few minutes and you’re seeing green. Today I went from my office desk to lunch on a catamaran in less than ten minutes.

This snappy transition from a paper-filled cubicle to bobbing on the River Derwent got me thinking. Why don’t we do these things more often? Hobart sits on the second deepest natural port in the world (behind Rio de Janeiro) with a spectacular backdrop of Mount Wellington. Why the dickens did I eat sushi at my desk the day before?

There’s not many harbour capitals like it- and though many of us don’t dip our toes in the water on our lunch break - there’s ways to embrace our waterside lifestyle. You don’t have to know a mate with a big boat (although that’s often nice), because Southern Isle Charters are at the ready. They’re even docked at Kings Pier, in direct view of many office desks.

So why not gather up 12 of your friends, or encourage your boss to spoil you this Christmas. For an hourly rate of $400 including skipper and deckhand (3 hrs min), you can be cruising away from your desk for $33/hr each. That’s wind in your hair for the price of a few pints at your local. A slight shift in your course will have the grand Southern Ocean roll out before you.

Choose to dine alfresco on the top deck or gather in the spacious cabin below for a round of cards and a few drams of Tassie’s finest whisky. The crew can cater with gourmet Tasmanian fare, even a barbie on the back. And those who want to cast a line can opt to cruise down to coastal waters off Fortescue Bay where Southern Bluefin and Australian Salmon are plenty.

The magic about boating is there’s no well-worn path to follow. There’s a freedom in picking a little cove off Bruny to settle in for lunch or cruising down to Lime Bay and finding it deserted. A half day cruise to Storm Bay will take you on a venture through colonial history, past aquatic farms and rolling vineyards.

My alfresco lunch hour was over far too quickly. The gentle rocking took me back to childhood days on our family boat; drifting to sleep onboard, rowing the dinghy to new shores with my brothers, Dad being clocked by the boom and countless rods I kicked overboard. Treasured memories that all played out on the water.

If you’d like to make your own memories, Southern Isle Charters can take you to the playground of your choice. Venture as far as Coles Bay or just put your feet up and enjoy dinner on the River Derwent with good friends. There’s fun to be had this summer – make it a special one.

For more information and bookings visit: Southern Isle Charters
Click to win a cruise for 12 on have 36 foot of luxury catamaran to yourselves, drawn this Christmas Eve.